Thomas Michael “Mike” Corwin is an observational astronomer and a retired Professor of Physics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His principle research area is RR Lyrae variable stars in globular clusters. He is the author of numerous research publications and several textbooks.

20th Century Physics: A Liberal Arts Approach is the story of the transition from classical to modern physics. Because this new physics demands radical, and at first incomprehensible, changes in our worldview, it is also the story of a philosophical revolution. Relativity, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics are covered at the mathematical level of high school algebra. Emphasized throughout the text is the history that produced these revolutionary ideas and the lives of the uniquely creative individuals who gave rise to them.

About the author

Thomas Michael “Mike” Corwin is an observational astronomer and a retired Professor of Physics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. His principle research area is RR Lyrae variable stars in globular clusters. He is the author of numerous research publications and several textbooks.

Preface

Measurements and Theories

What is Physics?

Which Came First, the Data or the Theory?

Can’t You Speak Plain English?

Fundamental Physical Quantities

Conservation Laws and Energy

Conservation of Charge

Conservation of Momentum

Energy

Conservation of Energy

Modern Physics: A Brief History

Observations That Appeared To Defy Analysis Using Classical Physics

Twentieth-Century Physics

The Correspondence Principle

Physical Laws in Different Frames of Reference

Frames of Reference

Inertial Frames of Reference

The Principle of Relativity

The Special Theory of Relativity: Time Dilation

The Special Theory of Relativity

Time Is a Relative Physical Quantity

The Special Theory of Relativity: Length Contraction and Velocity Addition